The Solution
Team Titan Think Tank Issue 22 "The Solution." This issue is set the morning after the previous issues as the much of the team wake up early to work on various preparations before they go to have breakfast. Mr Psychic constructs a new Cerebral Master Top Hat, using a blue top hat given to him from Mister Top's own collection of top hats, and shows that through his work with microcircuitry imbedded in clothing, that he is even skilled at sewing. Tonic packages the domino mask that she has sent off, which is not only a mask, but a complex device made of flashing Tetris pieces which you can use to play the game on it, and she sends the parcel for Reb, who is meanwhile at school, once again annoying his teachers by innocently outsmarting them, such as challenging than 1+1 does not always equal 2. The Think Tank, minus Reb, meet up in the base cafeteria to have breakfast, as Sonne enters with Sakura and Alyssa in her Deus Ex Machina armour, as she takes off the helmet in order to have some breakfast. Sakura has some talk with Yu with regards to mystical practices, and offers her help with his own theoretical studies (which he is using to magically enhance BREAKER, when it is created.) Sonne also introduces Sakura and Games Master they discuss his current condition; Sakura, who has known both a CABER and Counterstrike in the past, sees immediate comparison with him, but after some discussion with Games Master seems confident that Games Master's mind is free of any corruption from Atilla. After breakfast and some discussion of what to do next, the team goes in separate directions to continue their various roles in preparing for their mission into Titan City. As Tonic makes her way through the corridors, she keeps trying to hide, so she can avoid Director Waterstone. Battling Briton walks past her as she hides behind a plant plot, and without even looking at her, points out that its pointless to hide from the Director, because she will 'always find you. She does that,' Waterstone's voice is heard saying 'he's right' and ordering Tonic to come and see her at 4 in the afternoon. Tonic goes to the lab where Games Master sits working on further plans and tests for BREAKER, whilst Tonic creates a new dart for her launcher, asking if she can test it on GM. GM doesn't seem highly responsive, so Tonic fires the dart. GM fails to notice anything is different as an energy construct flares around him out of nowhere. Tonic is pleased at the first testing of AMP, a computerised version of Surge ready to be reverse engineered into BREAKER. Sonne leaves Prometheus Base and travels to GRANDDAD's secret underground bunker in London. He explains that he fears what might happen to him in Titan City, so he wants to use GRANDDAD's nanite expertise and data storage ability to take data about all of Sonne's genetic information from his nanites so Sonne can build a machine to store the information and create a copy of him, if he should die. GRANDDAD seems uneasy about the decision, but does not oppose Sonne after mentioning his distaste of the idea. Before Tonic turns up at 4 to the meeting with Waterstone, she secretly invites the rest of the team to a meeting, as she reads about Tonic's degrading list of criticisms against herself. Waterstone is not convinced by Tonic's negative attitude towards herself, and to most of the points, the team agrees that Tonic is being unfairly critical of herself, though Cain does point out that she is completely inexperienced in combat, and that is her primary problem. Sonne thinks that her main problem is confidence in herself, and the team largely agree with this surmising and start to try and come up with a plan to increase her confidence in a fight. Cain is insulted and against the idea of using his knowledge to try and come up with a 'threat' for her to try and save the team from (use of Random Man, who she is greatly afraid of, is suggested) and points out that if she truly believes there is a threat, this could accidentally bring great harm to someone, and adds that her lack of fear and confidence is justified by being knocked out many times during the simulations, and getting round that is the problem that should be surpassed. After Waterstone points out that it is theoretically possible, the team come up with the idea of creating a machine that they could project her consciousness through and her powers, and make use of them, without her needing to worry about her physical frailty. As GRANDDAD can project his consciousness dimensionally, Cain suggests that GRANDDAD could cut off Tonic's connection to the machine if needed, say if she panics or uses her powers to severely, without the threat of physical harm to force her to control herself. Waterstone agrees with the notion and then invites Tonic in, who is incredibly resistant to the idea, but cannot say why, as she breaks into incomprehensive stuttering many times. In the end, Waterstone explains how she discovered Tonic; she came to the GSPD requesting to have her powers nullified as she feared what she would do with them, and instead agreed to keep them and use them to mass-produce Nullifier, to deal with those who were to dangerous to keep their powers. Tonic doesn't want Waterstone to reveal this secret, but she does so anyway, and Waterstone adds that Tonic is worried that being physically disconnected from her powers, she is more likely to do something horrific with them. The team, however, are still insistant that they need Tonic in the field with them, not only because of her highly useful, flexible powers, but because of her role as the creator of BREAKER would make invaluable to its deployment in the field. In turn, each team member explains why they feel she is needed, and lastly, Reb says 'I believe in you, Dr Toni', which seems to have the desired effect on her, as she eventually agrees to stay on the team. End of issue.